Grades 1-3
Introductory Activity – Table, Chair, Bed
Materials: none
Tell kids they will play a movement game. Help them learn the movements before you begin the game. For bed, kids lay on the floor; for chair, they sit on the floor and hold out their arms as chair arms; for table, they move to a crawling position, with knees and hands on the floor. Begin play slowly. Say: “Table. (Wait for kids to move in that position.)Chair. (Wait for kids to move in that position.) Table. (Wait for kids to move in that position.) Bed. (Wait for kids to move in that position.) Chair.” Speed up the time between words. Gradually increase the time until kids are moving quickly to get into each position. Tell kids that today they will hear these pieces of furniture mentioned in the Bible story.
Live It Out
Game – Letter by Letter
Materials: Masking tape, two pieces of paper or white boards, markers
Lay a tape line in the middle of the play area. Place the paper or white boards at either end of the play area. Group kids into two teams. Say the Life Point together, a few times. Line up teams on the tape line; one team should face one end of the play area and the other team the other end. On your signal, the first player on each team runs to his team’s paper, writes the first letter of the first word of the Life Point, and runs back to the team. The next player runs to the paper and writes the second letter of the word. Play continues until a team completes all the words of the Life Point. Teams can assist by telling the player what letter to write if he seems confused. When teams have completed the sentence, read the Life Point again with kids. Talk about the Bible story.
Craft – Mold a Reminder
Materials: air-dry clay, small craft sticks
You can purchase air-dry clay or make it. To make it: Combine 2 cups baking soda, 1 cup cornstarch, and 1½ cups cold water in a pan and stir until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and continue to cook and stir until the mixture is the consistency of mashed potatoes. Remove from the pan and set aside; cover it with a damp towel and let it cool completely. Knead it until smooth. Store in airtight container. This recipe makes about 2 pounds of clay.
Use the review questions to recall the Bible story. Talk about the Weekly Verse and how families can help people in their communities. Give each child a small ball of clay. Suggest kids mold something from the clay that reminds them of the Bible story. They could choose to make a table, chair, or bed. They could make a child. They could make a word or an abstract representation. Encourage kids to talk about their ideas as they work. Tell kids to place their reminder in a place to air dry for several hours. Say the Life Verse together.
Grades 4-6
Introductory Activity – Design a Room
Materials: paper, colored pencils, rulers
Tell kids to use the paper to draw floor plan of a room and design it. They must first decide what kind of room they are designing—bedroom, media room, classroom, and so forth. They then can draw the shape of the room and include all the furnishings and other items. Allow kids to work alone, in pairs, or in small groups of 3-4. After a few minutes, call on volunteers to tell their ideas. Tell kids that people in the Bible story designed and built a room to help someone.
Live It Out
Game – Answer Relay
Materials: index cards with review questions and answers
Print review questions on index cards, one per card. Print the answers to the questions on other cards, one per card. Place a table at one end of the play area. Group the questions on left side of the table and the answers on the right side of the table. (Cards should be mixed in each category.)
Tell kids to stand in a line. The first kid runs down to the table and chooses a question card. The kid runs back and reads the question. The next kid in line runs down and finds the matching answer card. She runs back and reads the answer. The next kid runs down to choose another question card, and so on. Continue until all the questions and answers are matched. Talk about the Bible story and how the couple helped Elisha. Say the Life Point together. (Mix the cards and play the game again as time allows.)
Craft – Ruler Reminder
Materials: wooden rulers (one per kid), permanent markers, washi tape and other colored tape, scissors
Talk about the Bible story. Ask kids to name tools the couple may have used to build a room for Elisha. Give each kid a ruler. Lead kids to write the Life Point on their rulers. They can use the markers and colored tape to decorate the rulers as reminders to worship God by helping people in their communities. Talk about ways kids could help others in your church or their neighborhood.
Note: As a substitute for wooden rulers, provide wooden paint stirrers.
Leave a Reply